USA retain the Women's PGA Cup at Carden Park with a 19-under 638 total, seeing off GB&I by 30 shots to make it four wins in a row for the PGA of America.
Full Leaderboard:
POS |
TEAM |
TOTAL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | -19 |
| 2 | GB&I | +11 |
| 3 | Canada | +14 |
| 4 | South Africa | +28 |
| 5 | Australia | +28 |
| 6 | Sweden | +33 |
USA's playing captain Ashley Grier pointed to the strength in depth across her squad as a main contributor to their triumph. "The talent is so strong. It's so hard to make this team, and everybody wants to work hard to make sure they do well," she said.
"All five of us are great players. If we stuck to our own games, I felt it was going to take care of itself. It keeps getting harder to make the team, but hopefully I keep making it, keep playing well, and the U.S. keeps dominating.
"Carden Park, thank you so much. Everybody took care of anything we needed, and the course was so fun to play."
Sandra Changkija was the standout individual performer, taking the Brittany Kelly Medalist honour with a 6-under total of 213. Changkija's consistency was evident, carding 71 in all three rounds, with an eagle on the par-5 2nd during her final round the highlight of her week.
"This is my first time coming to the UK, and Carden Park was a really great golf course. I really enjoyed the week here with my teammates," she said.
"I'm just glad I was able to contribute to my team all three days. To come home with the Brittany Kelly Medalist honour is huge for me, that's exciting."
When asked about the difference between UK and US golf courses, she said, "This didn't feel any different to a course in the United States. It's tree-lined and hilly, so I felt right at home."
GB&I produced their best team round of the week on the final day, a level-par 219 that was bettered only by USA's 5-under 214, and it was enough to leapfrog Canada into second place. The performance was led by debutant Hazel MacGarvie, whose 1-under 72 was GB&I's joint-lowest round of the tournament - alongside Sian Evans - built on five birdies against two double bogeys.
"The whole week has been great, both on and off the course. I had a lot of fun," MacGarvie said.
"I was definitely a little nervous the first few days, but today I just went out and thought there's no point being nervous. You go out, have fun, and shoot what you shoot. I had a couple of bad holes that brought my score back to one-under, but you can tell from the rest of my scoring that's exactly the mindset I had today."
MacGarvie also spoke warmly of the home support at Carden Park. "I've got loads of family here, a full squad out there, even a couple of dogs. It's been great to have them all out watching and supporting, and I think it's been the same for the other girls with their families too."
GB&I's playing captain Heather MacRae - who finished T9 at +7 - shared her pride in her side’s performance and reflected on a memorable week.
“Being at home added a little extra pressure, but I'm really proud of them all. They've been enjoying it, and that's a big plus," she said.
"It's amazing how far this event has come. The first three editions being in the States were massive, and it was great for us to travel over and take part. Now other countries have put their hands up wanting to host it too, and it doesn't have to look the same everywhere, we can all put our own take on it. It gives us something to aim for every two years, and trying to make the team means a lot to us."
Individually, Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth and GB&I's Sian Evans tied for second on 1-under 218, with Australia's Danni Vasquez and USA's Kim Paez tied fourth, both with a 2-over 221. Vasquez battled illness through the week to finish inside the top five.
"It was annoying because I know I could have done so much better, but I was really tired and only got one practice round in," she said. "Considering all that, I'm just happy I was able to compete. It could have been a lot worse, I could have been sick in bed the whole week."
With the trophy retained by USA for a fourth consecutive time, attention now turns to South Africa, who will host the next Women's PGA Cup in 2028.
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